Jazz Articles about Steve Lantner

Steve Lantner Trio: Blue Yonder

by AAJ Staff
August 16, 2005

Pianist Steve Lantner, an active player in Boston's improvised music community, has an ear for the unexpected. His last trio outing, Saying So, established him as a literate, empathetic voice devoted to expanding language and lyricism through understatement. On this freely improvised followup, he breaks down a number of barriers, exploring territory marked by more overt dissonance and wider emotional dynamics--often doing so by leaping and bounding, rather than assembling careful, flowing statements.

His partners on Blue Yonder, ...

Steve Lantner Trio: Saying So

by AAJ Staff
August 7, 2002

On Saying So, free jazz pianist Steve Lantner gives new meaning to the word lyrical. He extends beyond gentle melodies to emphasize communication, and thus tell a story. Lantner builds statements, exclamations, and questions--and that feeling comes from his phrasing. When he's out front, Lantner has a particularly articulate way of putting things together. It's not the pointed lightning stabs of Cecil Taylor or the dark, angular thrusts of Matthew Shipp. Instead, Lantner relies on understatement and a gentle touch ...

Steve Lantner Trio: Saying So

by Glenn Astarita
July 18, 2002

This recording and guitarist Joe Morris' Age of Everything represent two new releases on Morris' revitalized Riti Records label.

Based on two previous outings for Leo Records, modern jazz/improvising pianist Steve Lantner's radiantly novel approach contains the stuff that provides the earmarks for a fruitful career. He has recorded with Mat Maneri (violin) and Joe Morris (guitar) yet here, Morris switches over to the bass while Laurence Cook (drums) rounds out this high-spirited trio date. Lantner's mode of ...